Beautiful spring days bring with them the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival! This celebration is one of my favorite times to visit Walt Disney World. With all the extra fun at Epcot from gorgeous gardens, fragrant flower beds, amazing topiaries, awesome outdoor kitchens and more, there’s something fresh around every turn.

Special Displays

The most visually exciting part of the festival are all of the amazing displays! From rainbows of flowers to rare horticulture to the stunning topiaries dotting the park, there’s no shortage of eye candy around Epcot in the spring. Fluttering fans will adore the butterfly exhibit near Club Cool in Future World where guests can get up close and personal with several different types of butterflies. Listen to the melodic Purple Martins in Future World East as they fly near the beautiful gardens. Don’t think darkness brings an end to the beauty of the festival! Many displays are illuminated through the night and take on a whole new feel.

Outdoor Kitchens

The outdoor kitchens are one of my favorite additions to the festival. Taking on a bit of an International Food and Wine Festival (which takes place at Epcot in the fall) aura, the kitchens offer a plethora of different eats and libations to enhance your Flower and Garden experience. Although smaller, with 13 outdoor kitchens to the Food and Wine Fests 30+ marketplaces, there’s no shortage of delicious treats to munch and sip as you stroll through the festival. Be sure to stop in China for candied strawberries!

• Get Park Wise: Like Food and Wine, guests can grab a refillable gift card to make outdoor kitchen stops seamless. Order, swipe and go!

Experiences and Events

Tea aficionados can sign up at the Tea Caddy in the United Kingdom to join in on a free guided tour through the tea garden in the pavilion. The 20-minutes tours take place at 4:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. Monday through Thursday and at 2:00 P.M., 4:00 P.M. and 6:30 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday. Guests 12 and older can embark on the three-hour Gardens of the World tour that takes Flower and Garden fans behind the scenes of the festival and other horticultural facets of Walt Disney World. This tour takes place Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 9:00 A.M. during the festival and costs $69 per person.

The Festival Center, open from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and is home to home and garden experts, demonstrations and festival merchandise.

Two great play areas just for the kiddos are located near Test Track and feature Lightning McQueen and his crew and along the walkway from the World Showcase toward the Imagination Pavilion and feature musical interactions and great climbing toys.

Garden Rocks Concert Series

Weekends during the festival bring throwback concerts with some of your favorite acts from 90s to disco and back! Grab a goodie from an outdoor kitchen and grab a spot during one of three nightly concerts on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the festival. Performances take place at 5:30 P.M., 6:45 P.M. and 8:00 P.M.

Have you been to the Flower and Garden Festival? What are your favorites?

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